Mississippi State has spent most of Brian O’Connor’s first season showing it belongs in the thick of the national picture. This weekend brings another chance to prove it. No. 11 Mississippi State hosts No. 6 Auburn for a Thursday‑to‑Saturday series at Dudy Noble Field, a matchup between two teams sitting at 14-10 in SEC play with plenty still on the line. State has lived in these kinds of series all spring. The Bulldogs have swept Ole Miss in Oxford, swept Vanderbilt at home, swept LSU during Super Bulldog Weekend and went to Columbia and swept South Carolina for the first time in program history. Now they’re back at Dudy Noble, where they’re 24-6 and where the crowds have looked and sounded like a team pushing toward June. Auburn arrives as one of the hottest teams in the league, and the rest of the weekend preview can dig into why this series feels like another measuring stick for both sides. No. 11 Mississippi State getting its weekend started early against No. 6 Auburn.…